zombe on 10/8/2015 at 20:58
I don't even ... ?
Can copy smaller folders from FAT32 USB stick, but cannot copy a big folder (both to same destination which has full access rights).
* Fresh windows with nothing installed (no antivirus or any other programs really, etc), except all the updates (tried to copy before any updates too - did not work then either).
* No errors are given - just nothing happens. It ignores the command.
* Tried adding ClassicShell to the mix in case its replacement dialogs would be of any help - nope, same behavior.
* Found nothing via google (seems to be common problem without solutions anywhere)
I ... what?
I assume there is some kind of retard-proofing security feature enabled in default windows that i fail to find. I am at a loss of how to proceed with this problem.
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Obviously, i am seeking for a way to fix windows and not any alternatives to copying of whatever.
voodoo47 on 10/8/2015 at 21:04
make sure you are not running out of folder path length.
Al_B on 11/8/2015 at 07:25
Quote Posted by zombe
Can copy smaller folders from FAT32 USB stick, but cannot copy a big folder
Do you mean big in terms of number of files (and if so, how many?) or big in terms of file size (again, how large if so?)?
Also, how was the folder originally created on the USB stick?
zombe on 11/8/2015 at 07:47
make sure you are not running out of folder path length.
Have very short total file and folder name lengths.
Do you mean big in terms of number of files (and if so, how many?) or big in terms of file size (again, how large if so?)?
Nothing extraordinary, just not a small folder. Less than 1000 files and about 2.4GB in total.
Also, how was the folder originally created on the USB stick?
Copy from hdd (as the usb is FAT32 [ie. not exFAT / NTFS or whatever] - there is nothing funky that could have come with it as FAT32 hardly supports anything).
The USB contains a sortment of standard soft-dumps which i have used for other fresh win7 installs before also.
Tried to copy it to my own Win in case there is something funky with it ... hm, there is something funky with it. It silently fails to copy anything. Currently in the painful process of copying stuff one-by-one (oh, dear) to try pinpointing what causes the problem
...
zombe on 11/8/2015 at 08:23
Apparently, windows cannot find some of the files...
One subfolder [explorer]: "Location is not available"
+ "explanatory" text ... which is complete nonsense. Networked etc.
Some files [hex-viewer]: "cannot open file 'bland-boring-filename-in-equally-boring-folder' for read access. The system cannot find the file specified"
... right.
ChkDisk:
* destroys the majority of non 8.3 file names (ie. all the files that were OK are now unusable).
* hangs indefinitely (including the property sheet where the error-checking button was) - cannot be cancelled or interacted in any way.
* was allowed to unmount the USB ... now to figure out how to get rid of ChkDisk. And then to somehow fix-n-restore the USB-stick-of-doom to its tamed'n'functional glory. I have no idea (don't have any other sticks handy).
[with my programmer hat on] Having programmed one FAT32 reader/explorer/fixer - i am completely baffled how anything could confuse ChkDisk to the point of it failing so spectacularly.
edit: killing explorer got rid of it and apparently ChkDsk is not the backend that explorer uses - so used ChkDsk from command line:
* apparently the non 8.3 enties are somehow invalid - you wot mate?
* the zombie files are still there ... checking for read errors (does not match the error messages, but i can not see anything else i could try).
edit2: ChkDsk read check found no problems - everything is alright. Except all the zombie files are still there and cannot be deleted - since they do not exist ... on a fucking FAT32 filesystem!!!
Luckily when i previously test-copyed most of the files out i inadvertently made a backup of nearly all of the good files before ChkDsk destroyed them for absolutely no reason - still some is lost and i have to re-find/download what got damaged. *insert-a-string-of-shocking-expletives*
Al_B on 11/8/2015 at 11:47
Sounds like low-level FLASH corruption (over and above what can be error corrected automatically) or a failure in the USB chipset in the memory stick. If it's the latter that would explain why chkdsk failed and the weird behaviour you're seeing although it isn't much help with getting your files back.
